Share:

Jimmy Durante

Comedian / Pianist / Actor | * 02/10/1893 († 86, 01/29/1980) | New York City, New York (United States of America (USA))
James Francis Durante ( də-RAN-tee, Italian: [duˈrante]; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and prominent nose helped make him one of the United States' most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s. He often referred to his nose as the schnozzola (Italianization of the American Yiddish slang word schnoz, meaning "big nose"), and the word became his nickname. ()

Comedian, composer, actor, singer and songwriter ("Inka Dinka Doo") Jimmy Durante was educated in New York public schools. He began his career as a Coney Island pianist, and organized a five-piece band in 1916. He opened the Club Durant with Eddie Jackson and Lou Clayton, with whom he later formed a comedy trio for vaudeville and on television. He appeared in the Broadway musicals "Show Girl", "The New Yorkers", "Strike Me Pink", "Jumbo", "Red Hot and Blue", and "Stars in Your Eyes". By 1936, he had appeared at the Palladium in London. Later he had his own radio and television shows, and was a featured headliner in night clubs. Biographer Gene Fowler wrote his biography, "Schnozzola". Joining ASCAP in 1941, he collaborated musically with Jackie Barnett and Ben Ryan, and his other popular song compositions include "I'm Jimmy That Well-Dressed Man", "I Know Darn Well I Can Do Without Broadway", "I Ups to Him and He Ups to Me", "Daddy Your Mamma Is Lonesome For You", "Umbriago", "Any State In the Forty-Eight", "Chidabee Chidabee Chidabee", and "I'm Jimmy's Girl".

Photo of Jimmy Durante
Most frequent genres for this person: Comedies | Music | Documentaries

Known for these Movies & Shows

The daughter of a circus owner fights to save her father from a takeover spearheaded by the man she loves. ...

Billy Rose's Jumbo

Certification unknown

1962 | 2.9/5 | 2h 3min
Comedy, Music, Romance / Love
Search on Amazon.de
Watch now!
A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each at ...

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

FSK: 12+ years

1963 | 3.5/5 | 2h 43min
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime
available on:
Watch now!
Shortly before Christmas, a family moves into an apartment where Rupert the squirrel lives in the attic rafters. Just as it seems that the holiday will come and go without so much as a Christmas tree, ...

The Great Rupert

Certification unknown

1950 | 2.9/5 | 1h 28min
Kids & Family, Comedy
available on:
Watch now!
A guilt-ridden U.S. Marine returns to Cuba to try to find the woman he promised to marry. ...

The Cuban Love Song

Certification unknown

1931 | 2.2/5 | 1h 26min
Music, Romance / Love
Search on Amazon.de
Watch now!

Awards & Nominations for Jimmy Durante

Peabody Awards Star On Hollywood Walk of Fame
Ad Protect Your Online Privacy with a VPN

Don't risk your personal information and online activities being exposed to hackers, government surveillance, and other online threats. A VPN encrypts your internet connection and hides your IP, giving you maximum security and privacy. Take control of your online safety, switch to a VPN now. Choose one of these services to learn more:

Movies with Jimmy Durante as Actor(64)

as himself2019 JFK - Galakonzert 1961
as Self (archive footage)2014 And the Oscar Goes To...
as himself2011 Don Knotts: Tied Up with Laughter
as (archive footage)2004 Checking Out: Grand Hotel
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)2002 Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song
as Self (archive footage)2000 Prison Images
as (archive footage)1994 That's Entertainment! III
as (archive footage)1984 Going Hollywood: The '30s
as (archive footage)1982 Showbiz Goes to War
as (archive footage)1976 That's Entertainment, Part II
as Self (archive footage)1976 It's Showtime
as Self (archive footage)1975 Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
as (archive footage)1974 That's Entertainment!
as Narrator (voice)1969 Frosty the Snowman
as Self (archival footage)1968 The Movie Orgy
as Humpty Dumpty1966 Alice Through the Looking Glass
as Self (archive footage)1965 Hollywood My Home Town
as Smiler Grogan1963 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
as Self - Host1962 The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers
as Anthony ('Pop') Wonder1962 Billy Rose's Jumbo
as The man with the large nose1961 The Last Judgment
as himself1960 Pepe
as himself1957 Beau James
as Mr. Louie Amendola1950 The Great Rupert
as Breezy Albright1950 The Milkman
as Buckley1948 On an Island with You
as Nick Lombardi1947 It Happened in Brooklyn
as Ferdi Farro1947 This Time for Keeps
as 'Spike'1946 Two Sisters from Boston
as Andrews1944 Music for Millions
as Billy Kipp / Julian Kipp1944 Two Girls and a Sailor
as himself1942 Breakdowns of 1942
as Banjo1942 The Man Who Came to Dinner
as Homer "Jeeper" Smith1941 You're in the Army Now
as Cornelius J. Courtney1940 Melody Ranch
as Willie Gumbatz1938 Start Cheering
as Jefferson Twitchel1938 Sally, Irene and Mary
as Jimmy Clayton1938 Little Miss Broadway
as himself1936 Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
as Jonah J. Whistler1936 Land Without Music
as Fingers1935 Carnival
as Hank Merman1934 Student Tour
as himself1934 Hollywood Party
as himself1934 Hollywood on Parade No. B-9
as Happy McGillicuddy1934 George White's Scandals
as Moxie1934 Strictly Dynamite
as Knobby Walsh1934 Palooka
as Jimmy Potts1933 What! No Beer?
as Jimmy1933 Broadway to Hollywood
1933 Give a Man a Job
as Joe McGoo1933 Meet the Baron
as Ptomaine' - Ships Cook1933 Hell Below
as James1932 Speak Easily
as himself1932 Hollywood on Parade No. A-3
as himself1932 Hollywood on Parade
as Julius J. McCracken1932 The Passionate Plumber
as Jimmy1932 Blondie of the Follies
as Curly Cooney1932 The Phantom President
as Abe Shilling1932 The Wet Parade
as O.O. Jones1931 The Cuban Love Song
as Santa Claus (uncredited)1931 The Christmas Party
as Schnozzle1931 New Adventures of Get Rich Quick Wallingford
as himself1930 The March of Time
as Daffy (as Durante)1930 Roadhouse Nights

TV Shows/Series with Jimmy Durante as Actor(14)

as himself1971 The Pearl Bailey Show
1971 The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
as himself1970 The Don Knotts Show
as himself1967 The Mothers-in-Law
as Self - Singer1964 The Hollywood Palace
1962 The Lucy Show
as himself1956 The Steve Allen Show
as himself1956 The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
as Self - Host1954 The Jimmy Durante Show
as himself1950 The Colgate Comedy Hour
as Host1950 Four Star Revue
as Self - Mystery Guest1950 What's My Line?
as himself1948 The Ed Sullivan Show
as Self - Singer1948 The Ed Sullivan Show

Full Name: Jimmy Durante
Born: Friday, 02/10 1893 (February) in New York City, New York (United States of America (USA))
Died: Tuesday, 01/29 1980 (January) in Santa Monica (aged: 86)
Zodiac sign: Aquarius (Chinese zodiac sign: Snake)
Record Label: Gennett
Spouses (current/former): Jeanne Olsen, Margie Little
Other names for Jimmy Durante (nicknames, foreign languages etc.):
"James Francis Durante"
"The Schnoz"
"Jimmy 'Schnozzle' Durante"
"Durante"
"Джимми Дюранте"
"Джимми Дуранте"
Jimmy Durante frequently works together with these people:
Mickey Rooney (21x, Actor)
Bing Crosby (14x, Actor)
Buster Keaton (12x, Actor)
Polly Bergen (11x, Actress)
Charlton Heston (10x, Actor)
Jerry Lewis (10x, Actor)
Clark Gable (10x, Actor)
Peggy Lee (10x, Actress)
Frank Sinatra (10x, Actor)
Moe Howard (10x, Actor)
Danny Thomas (10x, Actor)
Louis Armstrong (10x, Actor)
Maintain information on this page as an official partner
Is any information about this person incorrect or missing? Give us a hint!
WatchPlayStream ID: PEOPLE:12921, Added: 05/06/2018, Last updated: 03/22/2024